Cutting rivals down to size

Plymouth's undersized Justin Deurloo is overpowering heavyweights as he wrestles for a state finals berth.

Plymouth's undersized Justin Deurloo is overpowering heavyweights as he wrestles for a state finals berth.

February 04, 2008|TIM CREASON Tribune Correspondent

With a sparkling 35-5 season record, Plymouth High School's Justin Deurloo would appear to be a monstrous heavyweight wrestler. Except for two things: A.) He's not very monstrous. B.) He's not really a heavyweight. "Yeah, he should be wrestling at 215," says Plymouth coach Bob Read. "He looks pretty small out there sometimes. But we don't really have anybody else at heavyweight, so he's it." Deurloo, who stands all of about 5-8 and weighs between 210 and 220, is frequently dwarfed by his opponents. It's not uncommon for him to square off against guys who are a half-foot taller and 60 pounds heavier than he is. But don't let his (under) size fool you. More often than not, Deurloo's matches end in a fall, with Deurloo on top. Among others this season, Deurloo has pinned Riley's Mike Palmer, ranked No. 9 in the state power poll. He handed Glenn's Craig Fitzgerald (40-1) his only loss. Deurloo is already the Northern Lakes Conference champ and Plymouth sectional champ. Now, the little big guy has a chance to make the IHSAA state finals, if he can finish among the top four at next Saturday's Merrillville individual semistate. "I like the challenge," says the Rockie junior, who finished second at last Saturday's Clay individual regional. "I have a lot of confidence in myself. I know I have to outwork my opponents. I'm not going to outweigh them." Deurloo faces Crown Point's Matt Childress (20-15) in the semistate's opening round. If he wins that one, he must wrestle Rensselaer's Tim Fleming (28-4), the Logansport regional champ. And if he wins that one, Deurloo is headed to Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis on Feb. 15, no matter what else happens. "You know, the funny thing is Justin could go to state as a heavyweight, but we already know that next year he should be our 215-pounder," says Read. "It's not often you'll see a kid go down in size from one year to the next. "He would be there now, but we already have a good 215-pounder (Drew Flora) and Drew's a senior, so Justin didn't challenge for the spot," added Read. "It's OK; I think he likes beating guys who are bigger than he is." Opponents quickly discover that trying to throw Deurloo is a mistake. He's strong as a horse, benching 340 pounds and squatting 440. "He's got powerful hips and a low center of gravity, so it's hard for guys to muscle him. That's all that a lot of heavyweights try to do," said Plymouth assistant coach Ryan Rust. "They push and push and nothing happens. You see guys get frustrated pretty fast." But just as it's tough to muscle him, Deurloo knows he's not likely to throw his opponents, either. "I go for a lot of outside shots, ankle picks, I try to do things where they can't just fall on me," says Deurloo. "Once in a while, I'll get a good inside shot, but that's not very often. Most guys try to use their weight against me." Deurloo knows that every time he walks out on the mat next Saturday, he's probably going to be looking at his opponent's neck. But at this point, he's used to it. "Hey, I've already wrestled Palmer and Fitzgerald and (Mishawaka's Randy) Morin," says Deurloo. "Who am I going to see that's tougher? I'm confident I can make it to state." And next year? "Yeah, if I go 215, that will feel pretty strange," laughs Deurloo. "I'm not used to wrestling guys my own size."